


Starting from Scratch

by Shiningheart_of_ThunderClan



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: A 'create a Clan' story, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-22
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-11-03 15:00:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10969659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shiningheart_of_ThunderClan/pseuds/Shiningheart_of_ThunderClan
Summary: Flare had never even heard of the Clans before he met this spitfire of a she-cat who'd gotten herself lost. The way she described them, though, made him want to try the idea for himself. He can only hope Rainpetal sticks around long enough to help him out.





	1. The Rescue

**Author's Note:**

> Apparently I have a thing for 'making/restoring lost Clans' stories. XD

The grass swayed gently in the breeze, tall enough that the tops brushed at his ears. Flare constantly found himself flicking them away, and had to consciously keep himself from giving away his position. The mouse nibbled on a seed, unawares of it's impending doom. His mouth watered at the smell that came towards him, but he checked himself. Winter was well on it's way, and Violet needed the food more than he did. She'd be getting first dibs on it, if Jay hadn't brought her anything. And if his mother had eaten, then the kits would be next. Gale was already complaining about how much less food there was, and if a four moon old kit could tell already, things were going to be bad.

Flare leaped and landed square on the mouse, breaking it's neck without a sound. He stopped for a moment and thanked whoever was listening, whether it be the mouse's spirit or whatever higher power had led his paws to it, for providing food. His belly rumbled, not for the first time, but he used the pure stubbornness he was known for to ignore it. He was almost ready to head back to the den he shared with his family. One more mouse, or a shrew, or maybe even a squirrel if he could be fast enough! A squirrel would be great, then all three of the kits could share it.

He picked up his mouse to carry it to where he'd already caught a bird and a vole, and the body joined his stash buried in the earth. His ears pricked up once more to detect whatever other scrambling was near, but frowned. The world had gone almost disturbingly silent. Flare grew wary and glanced around, like that would reveal some threatening shadow lurking. For safety's sake, he scrambled up the nearest tree and waited on one of the branches.

Soon enough he heard what everything else must have felt: barking. A dog was loose in _his_ forest, and seemed to be closing in quick. At least it seemed to be heading in the opposite direction of his home. With any luck, the stupid sack of flesh and fur would keep running and soon tire itself out. Flare settled down to wait, but just as soon was back on his paws and bristling. He'd heard another sound, one masked by the increasingly loud barking: the frightened wailing of a cat in trouble.

Instinct made Flare want to leap down and head right for trouble, but he forced himself to wait. If he was right, the commotion was coming right towards him. Wait a minute... Just a bit more... Almost there... NOW.

Flare leaped down with a caterwaul just as a gray blur shot past and landed on the following dog's back, claws already outstretched to dig into flesh. Barking turned to yelping at the unexpected reinforcements, and Flare felt a vicious satisfaction as he paddled with his back paws. The fur was too thick to do any real damage, but the surprise attack was enough to discourage the fleabag from pursuing it's prey. The dog fled, more from the shock than pain, and Flare leaped off it's back before it could get too far away. **"And STAY out!"** he cried after it with a contemptuous snort.

Heavy panting from behind made him turn and behold the cat he'd just saved. It was a she-cat, slim and silver with pretty blue eyes. Those eyes were heavy with exhaustion and shiny from pain, but were still glaring at him. **"I. Could have. Taken him."** she said, heaving between words. Flare hesitated in responding, glancing over her more closely. She didn't have any obvious wounds, but she looked like she was standing funny. Like one of her paws were hurting. **"Hello, anyone home in there? StarClan, your staring is getting creepy!"**

Flare snapped out of it and shook his head to dislodge the fluff in it. **"Yeah, sorry, just making sure you weren't hurt. What's wrong with your paw? You look like you're keeping your weight off of it."** He glanced at the one in question, only for her to tuck it out of sight with a glare. Flare held in a sigh. He couldn't ask her to trust him so soon. They only had just met. **"Well, either way, you look like you need a rest. And don't bother denying it, you can't hide your gasping as easily as you can hide an injured paw!"**

The she-cat grumbled and looked away from him with what he would call a pout but she would probably call a glare. **"Fine, I guess. Even if you're a murdering psychopath I'm not really in the shape to protect myself. Why not make it easier on you and just come right to your lair of evil doom for you to kill me?"**

He couldn't withhold a snicker at that and replied sarcastically, **"Oh yes, wonderful, another victim! Your pelt will line my mother's nest and my 4 moon old siblings will enjoy batting around your severed tail. Joy of joys, what a day!"** The she-cat turned her face away quickly, but not before Flare caught sight of her smile. He beamed, proud of himself for making her day at least a little brighter. **"So, hey, my name's Flare! What's yours? I haven't seen you around here before, and I was born here. Are you a traveler?"**

She stiffened noticeably, which just made her limp more prominently. **"None of your business!"** she snapped suddenly, pelt bristling. Flare stopped walking and stared at her with wide eyes. He didn't think his questioning warranted that kind of response, but clearly it was a sore topic.

Slowly the she-cat relaxed, and somehow she seemed smaller than she had before. Now she just looked... sad. **"... I'm sorry. It's just..."** she sighed and shook her head dejectedly. Flare sat where he stood, making it clear he would listen if she wanted to talk. **"I was... separated. From my family. A couple of twolegs captured me and took me to their home."**

Ah, now things made sense. **"And now you're trying to find your way back."** She nodded miserably, and Flare took a moment to just look at her. She looked about his age, maybe a a little younger than his 25 moons. From the loneliness and desperation in her, it must have been a while ago.

Flare thought of his own family, of silent but protective Jay, kind and loving Violet, and the three kits, Gale and Melody and Spider. He thought of never seeing them again and his heart squeezed painfully. **"Maybe I can help? I know almost every cat in this forest. I can introduce you, and you can ask them if they know your family."**

For the first time, hope entered her pretty blue eyes. **"That... that would be great. Thank you. My name is Rainpetal, and I'm a warrior of RiverClan! Or at least, I was..."**

Flare stopped once again and stared again, this time in bewilderment. **"What's a... Clan?"**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet the family and Rainpetal learns more about Flare than she thought she would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to you know what you guys think of me making dialogue bold. It's what I do when I roleplay Warriors, but if it doesn't work for fanfictions then I'll go back through this chapter and unbold them.

Whatever hope Rainpetal had felt crashed and burned at Flare's question. She stared helplessly at him, searching, almost begging, for any hint of a joke. Even kittypets from the nearest twolegplace had at least HEARD of the Clans. If Flare, the one who claimed to know every cat here, didn't know about the Clans... What hope did she have of getting home?

 _'Reedflower, Mosstail, Mistheart... I'm so sorry.'_ It wasn't fair. It. Wasn’t. FAIR. She was a good cat! She never ate on hunting patrol, she never snapped at the grouchy elders, she didn't start any unnecessary fights! She even thanked StarClan for the fresh-kill she'd caught! Why were they doing this to her?!

She sank down to the ground, throat closed up and strangling a wail of despair. Rainpetal wasn't one to throw a temper tantrum, but she felt she was entitled to it. She wanted to throw something, to scream outloud, to just start running, wrenched paw be damned, and not stop until she saw her beloved lake again.

She felt Flare shift away from her, and a small part of her felt viciously amused at his apparent discomfort. Typical tom, never knowing how to deal with a crying female. **"Uh, hey, come on, it's not so bad! Just because I've never heard of them doesn't mean no cat has! I've never even seen the edge of the forest so I'm not the best cat to ask. My father might have heard of them!"**

Rainpetal sniffed and looked away from him. She refused to get her hopes up again. If she kept riding these ups and downs, she'd go insane before the day was over. Flare didn't give up though. **"He was a traveler for a long time before meeting my mother, and used to tell me stories about all the things he's seen. Mountains as tall as trees, cats the size of monsters, even a body of water so huge he couldn't see the other side! Like it drowned the sun every night!"**

Everything froze for her. She hadn't heard the story in a long time, it was mostly told to kits nowadays, but that sounded an awful lot like the Sundrownplace from the old tales. The ones about an old forest being destroyed by the greed of twolegs, and all four Clans banding together to travel far away to find their place beside the lake. It was complete foxdung, of course. Every cat knew the Clans had been there from the start of time. Ancient Riverstar had carved the paths of the stream himself that fed into the lake, or so the legends said. But if the Sundrownplace was real, then maybe all the old stories were too?

And more importantly, if they WERE true, could Rainpetal find her way back home if she could travel there?

A surge of resolution hit her, and without thinking she leaped to her paws to her paws to soldier on. Unfortunately her paw chose right then to give the teensy little reminder that, oh yeah, it was hurt. _'Ow.'_ she thought in the split second before it crumbled beneath her. She would have fallen flat on her muzzle if Flare hadn't leaped forward with a startled yelp. He caught her as best he could, keeping a paw on her chest until her legs got under her again. Rainpetal panted, eyes glazed with the pain, and waited for him to react. Either he'd start mocking her for being weak or he'd start pestering her with questions. He seemed like the kind of cat who would do both.

There certainly was the light of panic in his eyes as he looked her over. **"Okay, so let's not do that again, yeah?"** He was clearly trying to go for a casual tone, like he didn't really care, but the high pitched tone ruined that. At any other time Rainpetal would have found it hilarious. Flare retreated slowly, clearly unsure if she would collapse again. **"I'll walk beside you in case you fall again. If you feel like you need to lean against me, just say something. I won't complain."**

Silently swearing to herself that it wouldn't come to that, Rainpetal nodded anyway and limped forward. Flare stayed true to his word, staying beside her step for step. They fell into a slightly strained silence, Flare leading the way with gentle nudges and tail flicks. Soon they came upon a tree, one of the biggest oaks that Rainpetal had ever seen. It rose far above the trees surrounding it, so high up that trying to look at the top put a crick in her neck.

A cave had been excavated beneath it, it's roots making a strong foundation and even a rather endearing frame. The squeaks and mewls of playing kittens came from it, and a smile appeared unbidden on Rainpetal's face. Kits never failed to draw that expression. Flare gave her a reassuring grin and called out, **"I'm back!"** The mewling stopped momentarily before it picked up again, this time in excitement.

Three kittens bundled outside in a pile. The largest of them was a ginger tom that looked a little like Flare, but his chest and three of his paws was white. His yellow eyes, the same shade as Flare's, was wide with excitement and awe as he looked up at the older tom. Rainpetal's whiskers twitched in amusement. She sensed a case of hero worship, there.

The only she-kit of the lot was a mix of black and ginger. She had ginger splotches on her eyes that looked like a raccoon's mask, ginger on her chest and paws, and part of her tail. She was the only one with blue eyes, and she had an annoyed pout on her face as she turned to whine something at the third.

Where the other two were ginger, this one had only black. The only lick of color on him came from his eyes, a shade of amber far brighter than either of his brothers. He padded slowly, cautiously, eyes searching around for threats before looking over at Flare. He caught sight of Rainpetal and his eyes stayed on her, moving to stand protectively next to his sister.

The ginger tom barely glanced at her before looking up at Flare. **"Flare Flare Flare! You're back! Did you catch anything? I bet you did, you're an awesome hunter! I'm gonna be an awesome hunter too! Check out this crouch!"** He dropped into a sloppy, untrained crouch that made Rainpetal cringe just from looking at it. He wouldn't catch so much as a cold with something like that.

Flare gave Rainpetal an amused yet exasperated look. **"That's... Well, we'll fix it up later. For now, I need to talk to mom and dad."** He looked up just as a light ginger she-cat stepped out. She had the faintest of tabby markings on her pelt, barely visible unless you were looking for them. Her muzzle, chest, and a single forepaw were all white, and she had blue eyes. She had a smile on her face, though the expression morphed into one of surprise when she realized her son had brought a friend home. **"Mom, this is Rainpetal. She's hurt and has come a long way. Would it be alright if she stayed with us for a little while?"**

Rainpetal dipped her head in greeting, conveniently not meeting the mother's eyes. She held her breath, waiting for an answer, and breathed out a sigh of relief when it came. **"Of course she can, dear."** Rainpetal looked up and smiled gratefully at the look of kindness and maternal concern in her eyes. **"My name is Violet, and these are my youngest kits. Gale,"** the big ginger kit waved with a paw at his name, **"Melody,"** the she-kit twitched an ear, **"and my youngest, Spider."** The black tom blinked.

**"It's nice to meet all of you."** She looked at each kit in turn, who responded with their own chirped greeting, before meeting Violet's gaze again. **"Thank you for letting me stay. I promise, I won't stay for too long. Just until my paw heals, then I'll be out of your fur!"**

Violet waved a paw dismissively and turned away. **"Think nothing of it! I'd never turn away a cat in need, and neither would my son. Flare takes after me like that."** She threw a teasing glance at the tom in question, making him roll his eyes and huff. Violet giggled a little before getting to her paws, **"I'll make up a nest for you, dear. There's plenty of room in the den. I should warn you though, though, Flare is a fusser. Even as a kit he was always tossing and turning in his sleep."**

It reminded Rainpetal of her sister, Mistheart. She had been the same way, from the day they were born, and Rainpetal felt her heart squeeze painfully at the reminder. **"I think I can handle it."** she drawled, trying not to think to closely on it. If she thought about Mistheart, she'd think of their parents, and then she'd think of the Clan, and then she'd remember she hasn't seen them in moons and that they all probably thought she was dead.

Flare's timely interruption stopped her from crying right then and there. **"Yeah, that's great and all, but where's Dad? A dog was chasing Rainpetal when I met her and I'd like his help tracking it. I want to make sure it didn't run into anybody else. The direction it was headed after I scared it off, it was heading towards Jasper and Miranda's den. I know they can take care of themselves, Miranda especially, but I'd feel better seeing them with my own eyes. Plus maybe I can find Corinthia and bribe her into checking on Rainpetal's paw. I caught a chaffinch earlier, and she likes those the most!"**

Rainpetal had no idea who any of those cats were, but if there was anyone here who acted as a medicine cat and could stop the pain in her paw, she'd be happy to meet them. Violet thought for a moment before answering. **"He headed out a bit after you, saying he was going to try by the meadow for a rabbit. Maybe you'll find him there? If not, try by Bramble's den. It's close enough that he would have smelled or heard anything."**

Flare nodded in return. **"Great, thanks mom! I'll be back by sunset, promise."** He started to trot away, and Rainpetal admittedly felt a flash of panic at the closest thing to a friend she'd had recently walking away from her. She watched his retreating back with wide eyes, but slammed a mask of normalcy on when he abruptly stopped and spun back around to face her. **"Rainpetal, you'll be safe here. Everyone knows my family and knows not to start anything."** That... probably shouldn't have been as comforting as it actually was. If some cat DID decide to start something, the only protection any of them had was an injured warrior, a queen, and three kits. The only reassurance she had that it wouldn't come to that was Flare's word. For whatever reason, that seemed to be enough. 

He was waiting for her to respond, and Rainpetal made a show of rolling her eyes. **"I'm not a kit, you know! I don't need you to placate whatever worries or fears you think I might have. I'm a warrior, I'm not afraid of anything! Now shoo, get, go on. Go do whatever you want to do. StarClan knows I'm not going anywhere any time soon."** Far from being annoyed or confused by her, Flare actually seemed amused. He gave a crooked grin and waved his tail in farewell before going on his way.

This time she absolutely refused to watch him go. Head held high, Rainpetal limped her way towards the den opening she'd seen Violet and the kits come out of. Violet instructed her kits to not leave the clearing for any reason whatsoever before following. Much like Flare had done, Violet allowed Rainpetal to lean on her shoulder whenever necessary. The den inside the tree was actually larger than she'd expected. The roots kept the roof of it from caving in, so the cave had been dug out and expanded to make it seem roomier. Rainpetal mentally compared it to memories and realized it was almost the same size as the RiverClan camp. **"Oh wow, this is way more comfier than I'd expected!"** she blurted out without thinking. She almost immediately shut her mouth and shot a sheepish, apologetic glance to Violet.

Thankfully the older she-cat had Flare's good humor. She purred and flicked at Rainpetal with her tail. **"Trust me, I know what you mean! I grew up a house cat. Or, to you, a kittypet. Before I met Jay and fell in love with him, all I knew was soft pillows and dry blankets. Nests of moss and ferns were entirely new to me, but now I couldn't live life any other way!"** As she spoke, she pulled together a nest from a seemingly random pile of moss that had been shoved into the corner. Rainpetal looked her over more critically while her back was turned. Her fur was long and luxurious, as sleek as any RiverClan cat's, with a poofy tail that swept up clouds of dust as it brushed the ground. With fur like that and her pretty dark blue eyes, Rainpetal had no problems imagining her capturing the hearts of any twolegs who came across her.

Once the nest was together, Rainpetal sunk into it gratefully. She sighed as the weight was taken off of her injured paw. Curiosity got the best of her though, and she raised her head once again to look at Violet. **"So what's Jay like? And who are Jasper and Miranda and Corinthia? If I'm going to stick around here for any length of time I'd like to know who I might meet."**

Violet gave a dainty laugh and went to curl up in her own nest, which was big enough to fit three full grown cats in it. Or rather, two full grown cats and three small kits. Rainpetal looked back around inconspicuously and saw a third nest to the side, a short distance away from the bigger one. It smelled of Flare, which did away with that mystery.

Violet took her time getting comfortable before finally answering her questions. **"You'll meet Jay soon enough, and I'd rather not sway your opinions of him just yet. I'll only say he's not as scary as he might first seem."** Rainpetal tilted her head in confusion before shrugging it off. It was a fair enough response, and she was right about meeting him soon. She wouldn't push it. **"Jasper and Miranda are a pair of siblings, brother and sister, who were recently and rather tragically orphaned. Their mother was killed by a fox, and it would have gotten them too if Flare hadn't stepped in. It was a foolish thing to do, challenge a fox on his own, but luckily Bramble and Chester were close by. They like Flare, you see, and decided to help him drive it away.**

**"I think Flare feels responsible for not getting there in time. They're only a few moons older than those three outside. Since then, he's taken to looking out for them. Keeping them safe and teaching them what they need to get along. Jasper appreciates it, but Miranda is a prideful little thing and swears they don't need him. Flare will keep going back regardless though. Probably even long after they really DON'T need him anymore. He's like that. Once someone is under his protection, they're under his protection for life."**

Rainpetal tried to picture the goofball she'd met fighting off against a fox by himself. Foxes were different from dogs. Dogs were stupid, and could be outwitted and scared away. Foxes were far more dangerous, and would only give up when it was obvious they wouldn't get their prey. A full body shudder came from deep within her, and Rainpetal forcefully shoved the mental picture away. **"And Corinthia? Flare mentioned they could check on my paw?"**

Violet shifted in place, and a distasteful look flashed across her face for the briefest of seconds. **"Corinthia is something of a healer. She knows herbs and treatments, but her help often comes at a price. Either you bring her a gift, such as prey or shiny baubles, or you owe her a favor. The only good thing I can say about her is that she never turns away a patient, even if they come without a gift. Hence, favors."**

That was... Well, much like her decision about Jay, Rainpetal would withhold her opinion until she actually met Corinthia. It was clear Violet didn't think much of her, and Rainpetal didn't want to make a false assumption based on a biased point of view. **"Wow. I'm starting to think maybe Flare wasn't exaggerating when he said he knew almost every cat in this forest."** This time the laugh Violet gave was a bit more genuine than her last one. It was a nice laugh, pretty without being obnoxious. They continued speaking about whatever came to mind, and the more they spoke the more Rainpetal liked her.

Eventually she yawned though, and Violet decided to leave her there to take a nap. **"I'll wake you up when Flare comes back. Sleep well, dear."** Violet shocked Rainpetal then by giving her an affectionate lick on her forehead, like a mother putting her kit to sleep. It brought an unexpected lump to her throat. She was lucky Violet's back was turned already when a few tears leaked from her eyes. Rainpetal wiped them away hastily and curled up into a ball, facing away from the outside world.

As much as she tried to get to sleep though, her mind wouldn't let her rest. Eventually her thoughts turned to Violet's story about Flare facing the fox. Again she pictured it, a lone cat facing a much bigger, much fiercer opponent, with sharper teeth and slavering jaws. But this time her imagination supplied even more: behind the lone cat, the squeaks and squeals of frightened kits cowering. And at the cat's sides, two more cats, swathed in darkness but standing stalwart and true beside their Clanmate.

As soon as that thought passed, Rainpetal's eyes snapped open and she jerked up to a sitting position. What was that?! Flare wasn't a Clanmate! He wasn't even a warrior! Sure he seemed brave and compassionate and kind and reassuring and as honorable as any Clan cat, but... but...! Rainpetal dropped her head back down and pressed her paws against her ears, as if trying to drown out the thoughts. No no no. Flare was a loner. Even if he had the makings of a Clan cat, it wouldn't do any good. She couldn't take him back to RiverClan with her, they'd never accept him.

That's even if she ever made it back to her Clan. At this rate she might as well stick around and actually start a Clan-

NOPE NOPE NOPE. PUTTING A STOP TO THAT THOUGHT RIGHT NOW. She would make it back. She WOULD. And as soon as her paw was healed, Rainpetal swore to herself that she was out of there. No matter what Flare said or what happened.


End file.
